1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a workpiece holder which is used with a sewing machine which includes a needle bar movable upward and downward and a transfer mechanism transferring a workpiece in predetermined two directions and which can execute an embroidery sewing, the workpiece holder holding the workpiece when the workpiece is engraved by vertically moving a striking needle attached to the needle bar while the workpiece is transferred.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been provided a multi-needle embroidery sewing machine which can continuously execute embroidery sewing with the use of multicolor embroidery threads, for example. The multi-needle embroidery sewing machine is provided with a needle bar case which is mounted on a distal end of an arm and has, for example, six needle bars. A predetermined one of the needle bars is selectively coupled to a needle bar driving mechanism thereby to be vertically driven. Based on pattern data instructing a needle position for every stitch (that is, an amount of movement of workpiece cloth), color change and the like, a control device of the embroidery sewing machine controls the needle bar driving mechanism and other driving mechanisms while moving the embroidery frame holding workpiece cloth in the X and Y directions by a transfer mechanism, thereby executing a multicolor embroidery sewing operation. The aforesaid embroidery frame includes an inner frame and an outer frame both of which hold the workpiece cloth therebetween and is detachably attached to a carriage of the transfer mechanism in use.
An apparatus has recently been provided which engraves desired photograph, illustration, characters and the like on the surfaces of plastic or metallic plates and boards made of wood or fabric using striking needles, thereby producing accessories and furnishing goods.
Under the circumstances, the inventors conceived use of the aforementioned multi-needle embroidery sewing machine as an apparatus for performing the above-described engraving by attaching one or more striking needles to the needle bars, instead of the embroidery sewing needles. In this case, the needle bars to which the respective striking needles are attached are each moved up and down while the workpiece is moved by the transfer mechanism based on engraving data, whereby a predetermined pattern or the like is considered to be engraved on the surface of workpiece cloth.
However, the workpiece to be engraved is formed into the shape of a relatively harder plate such as plastic, metallic, wooden or fabric board. Accordingly, the aforesaid embroidery frame cannot be used to hold the workpiece, and a workpiece holder for holding a workpiece to be engraved is necessitated.